There are rainforests and cloud forests in Mexico, especially in the southern part of the country. Chiapas is the best location to see cloud forests. There are also rainforests in the state of Jalisco.
From Lake Chapala (about 40 miles south of Guadalajara in the state of Jalisco) towards the coast to the west and south, you would be amazed to find a tropical rainforest where you can find animals like the jaguar, which is one of the remarkable animal species found in Mexico. ...
There are rainforests and cloud forests in Mexico, especially in the southern part of the country. Chiapas is the best location to see cloud forests. There are also rainforests in the state of Jalisco.
From Lake Chapala (about 40 miles south of Guadalajara in the state of Jalisco) towards the coast to the west and south, you would be amazed to find a tropical rainforest where you can find animals like the jaguar, which is one of the remarkable animal species found in Mexico.
A cloud forest is also a rainforest, but not all rainforests are cloud forests. A cloud forest is located at a higher altitude where you have clouds that come into the forest. Cloud forests in Mexico can be found in certain mountain peaks.
A lot of people from the United States think of Mexico in terms of border towns that are dusty and deserts or vacation places on the beach like Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta. Americans don't realize that a very good portion of Mexico is in the Highlands and that the majority of the land area of Mexico is highland area. Mexico offers many other options other than deserts and beaches.
There is a poor conception of what Mexico is, especially for Americans crossing the border such as people from San Diego, California, who want to have a Mexican experience and cross over to Tijuana. Tijuana is a border town and like many other border towns is dry and not well designed. There is a big difference comparing how these Mexican border towns have developed compared to the border towns in the US.
Do I need a second passport if I retire, work, or live abroad?
Mike Cobb - ECI Development
You do not need a 2nd passport to live abroad. You don’t even need a 2nd residency to live overseas, but it certainly makes life easier and more convenient. Many people for the first year stay in country on a tourist visa and either leave the country periodically or go to immigration to have the tourist visa renewed periodically. Obtaining a permanent residency takes time and some hassle, but is worth it in the end if you decide to stay in your new home country.
You do not need a 2nd passport to live abroad. You don’t even need a 2nd residency to live overseas, but it certainly makes life easier and more convenient. Many people for the first year stay in country on a tourist visa and either leave the country periodically or go to immigration to have the tourist visa renewed periodically. Obtaining a permanent residency takes time and some hassle, but is worth it in the end if you decide to stay in your new home country.
Where's the best sightseeing in and around Nicaragua?
Gabriela Estrada
Nicaragua is such a beautiful country, filled with amazing places that you would not believe are real, so for me it's hard to choose one.
We have so many resorts, eco-lodges, waterfalls, ports, islands, volcanoes, lakes, that just a few days here it is not enough to see all the wonders Nicaragua has to offer you. I sure can name a few, and if you come to live to Nica you will get to see them.
Somoto Canyon: This is...
Nicaragua is such a beautiful country, filled with amazing places that you would not believe are real, so for me it's hard to choose one.
We have so many resorts, eco-lodges, waterfalls, ports, islands, volcanoes, lakes, that just a few days here it is not enough to see all the wonders Nicaragua has to offer you. I sure can name a few, and if you come to live to Nica you will get to see them.
Somoto Canyon: This is located in Somoto, Madriz. Located 216 kilometers (134 miles) away from Managua, the capital of Nicaragua. It was unexplored until a group of scientists from the Czech Republic and Nicaragua discovered the canyon in 2004. It is said it was formed 5 to 13 million years ago. This place is often visited by tourists and its beauty leaves you amazed. Some choose to navigate around it, swim in the waterholes, or climb the rocks.
Isla de Ometepe: Is about 160 kilometers (99 miles) from the capital, and about 40 kilometers (25 miles) away from Rivas. It was nominated to be one of the seven wonders of the modern world. Ometepe is an island formed by two volcanoes rising from Lake Nicaragua. Its name means "two mountains" and it is the largest volcanic island inside a fresh water lake in the world. The island has an hourglass shape, which are the two volcanoes Concepcion and Maderas.
Corn Island: It is a complete wonder on the Caribbean side of our country. The language they speak is Creole English. It is located a few kilometers away from Bluefields which is in the Caribbean of Nicaragua about 383 kilometers (238 miles) away from Managua. If you think it is a lot to travel by car, you can travel by airplane via a local flight from our international airport to Bluefields Airport. There are two islands along the same vicinity, one called "Big Corn Island", and the other "Little Corn Island" which offer you a tropical rainforest climate and an appreciation for the beautiful light blue, almost green waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
As I said before I could go on forever with suggestions for sightseeing in Nicaragua, so the best way to get to know it all would be to move down here, or come vacation for a loooong period. You will never regret visiting this place.
What are the best places in Portugal to live and retire?
Duncan MacGregor - Duncan MacGregor Accounting
In my opinion, one of the best places to live and retire is in Portugal is Cascais. Cascais is just half an hour away from Lisbon, which is the capital of Portugal. Within a radius of 50 kilometers (about 31 miles) from Cascais, you will find beaches, golf courses, castles, top class clinics, international schools, etc. You have everything that you need and want within a radius of 50 kilometers.
The Algarve is a little more spread out over a 100-kilometer (a little over 60...
In my opinion, one of the best places to live and retire is in Portugal is Cascais. Cascais is just half an hour away from Lisbon, which is the capital of Portugal. Within a radius of 50 kilometers (about 31 miles) from Cascais, you will find beaches, golf courses, castles, top class clinics, international schools, etc. You have everything that you need and want within a radius of 50 kilometers.
The Algarve is a little more spread out over a 100-kilometer (a little over 60 miles) coastline. From the Spanish border all the way to the western tip of Portugal, you will find that Algarve is divided into four centers. One of the best places to live in Algarve is Quinta do Lago, which is probably the most affluent place in the Algarve. It is for the really wealthy people, a bit like Monaco in Spain except that it is not a tax haven. Quinta do Lago has some enormous properties and so the wealthiest of the wealthy that want to retire in the Algarve would typically go to Quinta do Lago.
As you move further east, the prices come down. Vilamoura is also a very nice upmarket place to live in the Algarve. It has world-class golf courses and an excellent marina for sailors. Moving westward from Vilamoura, you will find Alvor and then Lagos, which is the last of the really nice places to live in Portugal before you get to the western tip of the country.
How's the biking in and around Cayo, Belize, including San Ignacio and Belmopan?
Penny James - Better in Belize Eco Village
Biking has not taken off in Cayo / San Ignacio, Belize.
The locals use bikes as a mode of transportation, but you don’t often see tourists biking along the roads
Cayo Adventure Tours and Chaa Creek Resort offer mountain biking tours. Pacz Tours, beside the RE/MAX Belize Property Center office on Burns Avenue in San Ignacio, was offering bicycle rentals.
(Pictured: outdoor shower-- complete with palm tree-- at...
Biking has not taken off in Cayo / San Ignacio, Belize.
The locals use bikes as a mode of transportation, but you don’t often see tourists biking along the roads
Cayo Adventure Tours and Chaa Creek Resort offer mountain biking tours. Pacz Tours, beside the RE/MAX Belize Property Center office on Burns Avenue in San Ignacio, was offering bicycle rentals.
(Pictured: outdoor shower-- complete with palm tree-- at Chaa Creek Resort, Cayo District, Belize)
What are the requirements for me to get a job in Panama?
Lourdes Townshend
Panamá has open doors to anyone who wants to highly contribute to honest development and growth. Proof of this is the many fairs ("crisol de razas") the country offers to foreigners with at least 2 years of residency in the country. They must comply with all the legal requirements and follow the process.
Those who do not reside in the country or came with a visitor's visa must know that Panamá is very conscientious and...
Panamá has open doors to anyone who wants to highly contribute to honest development and growth. Proof of this is the many fairs ("crisol de razas") the country offers to foreigners with at least 2 years of residency in the country. They must comply with all the legal requirements and follow the process.
Those who do not reside in the country or came with a visitor's visa must know that Panamá is very conscientious and protects its national citizens at large, and labor laws are very strict.
Another issue is that if you hold a degree from another country, you must revalidate it in Panamá, according to the private universities and education board requirements, prior to doing any job. Age is another issue. Most of the time being under 35 is a plus.
Universities are little more flexible, and professors can teach under certain permits, but for example, in the case of medical field, an individual cannot touch a patient unless the Health Department issues an approval. Lately, due to the lack of specialized medical doctors, especially in the "interior", the government is allowing the hiring of a certain amount of doctors, but just to a certain point and time. And cases are carefully reviewed by the Education Board.
Regarding general or executive management positions, these are reserved for those who comply with work permits or special international corporation trades, like more than 100 multinationals established in the city of Panamá, and every case is considered on individual basis under immigration law.
Some corporations will handle special documentation if they consider a professional to be extremely highly valuable in their field for their organization, but they must state that it is impossible to otherwise get these services in Panamá for at least 5 years, and that granting the wavier will highly contribute to the benefit of Panamá.
Another example of being able to work in Panamá is to open up a corporation under the special small or medium investor law. You can work, but only in that corporation, and the corporation must be established in Panama. And Panamanian law stipulates that a good percentage of the employees must be Panamanians. A good opportunity to do this would be to make an alliance with a Panamanian group in your area of work, and establish a basis for a future plan. Or contact your local embassy for direct orientation.
But, in consideration of all the above, Panamá is always looking for good people to share good opportunities, if they do it the right way.
We must remember that today, Panamá has the lowest un-employment rate in Latin America and other regions, even with the global economic crisis, and is booming every day, not to mention that Panamá is the 3rd most happy country in the world, according to a recent magazine article. Many jobs are available, but Panamanians are constantly pursuing higher education to be competitive with the modern era that Panamá is facing.
I have been living in Belize for all of my 30 years, a descendant of many cultures. My great-grandfather was a Scotsman who moved to Belize and married an African who became my great-grandmother. Thus was created the blend of what I am.
I've had opportunities to work with and for many foreigners who came to Belize, like my great-grandfather, to fulfill their dreams. With this exposure, I became interested about life in other countries and how the experiences of the...
Casco Viejo, or “the Old City of Panama” is the historic city center of Panama. It is a peaceful and charming district of narrow streets, accompanied by balconies full of the flowers of two and three-story houses. At its end is the French Park, a monument to the French builders who began construction of the Panama Canal, and the beautiful French Embassy, pictured here.
On the boulevard around the monument, visitors have a good view of Mirador Amador and the Bridge of the...
Dreams can easily reached, if you work towards them. In the beginning, don't set long term goals; always start with near-term ones. Work on a day-to-day basis with ordinary facts, and soon you will realize that your dream is closer than you think.
When we are young, we hardly think about the future; we think we have a long time still ahead. But one day, we realize we are not so young, and time has gone...